Habitat
Adults: terrestrial
Immatures: terrestrial

Feeding Habits
Adults: predaceous
Immatures: predaceous

North American
Species: 135

Hemiptera Reduviidae
Assassin bugs and thread-legged bugs

Special Characteristics: Assassin bugs have an elongate head with the part behind the eyes long and neck-like. The beak is short and fits into a groove on the underside of the thorax. Many species are black or brown but there is a lot of variety in colour and shape. The abdomen is widened in the middle and visible from above out to the sides of the wings.

Comments: Assassin bugs are predators that sit and ambush their prey. A few species are bloodsucking and will bite humans. One species in tropical parts of South and Central America serves as a vector for Chagas' disease. This species commonly bites people around the mouth while they are sleeping; for this reason it is often referred to as the kissing bug.

Species:
Reduvius personatus (Linnaeus)

Common Name:
Masked hunter

Feeding Habits: This species feeds mostly on insects and spiders. It will also bite humans if provoked.

Distribution:
Eastern Canada

Comments:
Nymphs of this species are more commonly noticed than the adults because they cover their bodies with detritus, dust and lint. They accumulate lint on their heads, becoming masked. They are found in houses, storage buildings and other dry places.